My wicked world

London - part 3

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:42:00 GMT

Sunday morning, or should I say noon, found us wandering the streets of London, as usual, but we had specific goals for that day – experience the Dungeons, cross several bridges, buy souvenirs, drink Starbucks (that would have been me) and then get some rest as we were flying back home the next morning. Plan – check, tourists – check, locations – check…Let’s go!

We found them dungeons (of course after checking the map at least 3 times while a freezing wind was blowing – we blamed London bridge for that) and entered, ready for a cool experience (me not so much as I knew at some point there will be a free-fall ride and I simply “love” them).

It was great – creepy statues, a guy with rats on his shoulder (live ones at that, a sight that sent chills down my spine), a labyrinth of mirrors, live actors. We reach the lair of a psycho-surgeon, who upon parting the crowd to their lefts and rights, picks me to sit on the torture chair. Lovely. After being the “victim”, the show is over and we arrive to a room where a fine damsel presents several torture tools used back in the day. And who do you think was the model for the demonstration? Me, of course. Nana said they picked me because I am tall and stand out in the crowd, but I think it’s because of my charming personality. Anywho, said demonstration over, we head to a courthouse, where several people would be judged. A lovely south-corean gal is charged for witchcraft, dancing naked under the light of a full moon, then the judge’s attention heads towards….me (again…”why me?!?”)…So there I am in front of the crowd, being charged for sharing intimacy with a horse (a stable relationship they called it). Three times I get picked out. Must be written in the stars. Nana was having the time of her life, but little did she know…muhahahaha. It was time for Jack the Ripper to rear his charming head. We enter a tavern like the ones in the old day, the matron tells us about dear old Jack, then a sudden flash of lightning, the wind blows the curtains, and from behind a secret door Jack charges towards Nana with a knife. Suddenly Nana becomes my coat, she wrapped herself around me *evil smirk*. The spirits calmed down and we were on our merry way towards a courtyard of some sort, in a time when witches were burnt at stake. The executioner (the same dude playing the psycho-surgeon) picks a member of the crowd – do I hear sounds of recognition? You guessed it, dear old me again. After reading the parchment that this is all a joke, bla bla bla, I take my designated place on the stake, eagerly awaiting my roasting.

This done, we go to the much-dreaded place – the free fall ride. We were supposed to be hanged, for heavy accusations were brought against us, etc etc and then it happened – I was watching in terror, heart beating frantically as the mannequin’s hand slowly activates the mechanism – a loud snap and we’re dropping to the ground like a heavy sack of potatoes. Midway, a sneaky camera took pictures. You should see my face. Complete and utter terror. Was I ever so glad it was over. Sure, I laugh now, but right at that moment I was not. This charming experience over, we bought some souvenirs, then headed to other attractions.

We crossed the Tower Bridge (after taking some photos in the sunny yet freezing weather), London Bridge (actually we went under it) and Millennium Bridge (happy to see it in one piece – after all it gets destroyed in Harry Potter 6 – cool special effects, I have to give them that). So pretty exhausted from our experiences, we marched towards a Starbucks *enter chorus of angels*. I ordered the usual vanilla latte, the biggest size (Venti) and I literally felt like I was in Heaven. Of course I got Nana hooked on that thing *cheeky grin*

When we got home, around 11, we were too wired up to sleep, so we tossed and turned, waiting for 4 o’clock to get up, get ready and get out.

Little was said on the road to the airport but one thing was for sure – we were dead set on returning to London!

I loved London so much, I even locked myself inside a phonebooth as a protest, but they got me out…darn it!

London - part 2

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:41:00 GMT

After some well-deserved sleep, Nana and I embarked on the journey for the second part of our business trip – a basic life support course Nana had to attend in order to get certified. So while she was enjoying the skills of first aid, I sat in the lobby of the hotel, immersed in an Anne Rice novel – Merrick this time (part of the thrilling Vampire Chronicles you people know I love so much). An hour later her class is done, I get to meet some really nice people (Amie and Rebecca – almost shamelessly drooling after her), got a semi-interview, then lunch, and once again we were riding the train, this time back to London.

The journey was short, and we met Vlad and Nana’s friends in the train-station: destination – London Eye. On our way to the Eye (images of Sauron’s eye kept popping in my mind) we saw several famous places: Chinatown (even had lunch there, yumm), Trafalgar Square (and witnessed a feministic meeting), Buckingham Palace (from afar), Whitehall Palace, 10 Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and finally The Eye. After getting the ticket I had my first 3D experience and LOVED it. We were given some ultra-cool glasses and waited for the show to start – right at that moment my left contact lens decided to give me a hard time, but I didn’t pay attention (HA!)…the show lasted a couple of minutes but it was awesome (basically a presentation of the Eye). The ride with the Eye lasted about 20 minutes, plenty of time to take plenty of pictures of plenty landscapes (which of course, we did). After that, we went to have something to eat (Chinatown of course), then came the fateful ride home with the train – we had to exchange like 3 trains to get home. I was kinda angry because the flow of people was too much for me, but in the end we got home in one piece.

It was decided to head out to a club Vlad praised the whole day. We got ready (it took me 30 minutes to get my hair right – which we didn’t, and ladies, I can totally understand you now). Got to the club, had a good time (I wish I said a great time but the music simply wasn’t my bowl of fish). After some hours of that we decided it was time to head home. And wouldn’t you know it, we had to take the bus – the double-decker type *celebration dance*. I would have danced right there but I was too tired and cold to do it. In no time we were home, comfy cozy between the sheets and ready for some shut-eye. At 5 am.And the best part of the trip was yet to come.

But all that in the next episode!

London - part 1

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:40:00 GMT

Last week I found myself eagerly waiting my next flight (number 41 that is) – destination London. We (Nana and me) were supposed to leave at 1.30 am in order to reach the airport in time (had to drive 60 miles after all). Thursday night I packed my bag and decided to take a little nap (wasn’t feeling too well with a sneaky cold lurking around). All was fine and dandy until my cell rang. Annoyed I answered, only to have Nana ask me if I was sleeping. After assuring her I wasn’t (a little white lie) upon checking the clock I nearly screamed – it was 1:41 am *silent scream*. Boy you should have seen me zipping around the house taking care of the last details. But lo and behold, half an hour after the designated time I was driving to pick up Nana and we were on our merry way towards Cluj, ready for the English adventure. The flight was uneventful, us sleeping the whole time and finally we were landing on the island (didn’t feel like an island to me, but there you go). We hopped off the plane, then hopped on the bus (I did, literally) and headed in the London direction.

Now, I’ve had my share of traveling and while I am amazed with all I see, didn’t expect to have my socks knocked off by London. We got to Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes anyone?) and debated what to do first – had to be at GMC at 2 pm for an interview so plenty of time to frolic around the city. The first stop – Madame Tussauds’ Wax Museum. We’ve heard about tourist packages – buy tickets for more attractions and get discounts. So we wander inside, get our luggage checked and headed towards the ticket booth. It was rather chilly outside and Nana complained about being a bit cold (thought she was a bit underdressed but was I in for a big surprise). While standing in line for the tickets Nana decided to strip (no pole dancing or even music, but it’s the thought that counts) – so off comes a sweatshirt, a sweater, a T-shirt, another shirt, then another (I was wondering – WHAT IN THE WORLD? she was feeling cold in THAT???). Alongside Nana’s strip number I found myself in a new position – hanger (clothes hanger that is). After the strip and the waiting, we bought our tickets for the Wax Museum, London Eye and the Dungeons and were ready to proceed. We spent 4 glorious hours inside this place of enjoyment – kissing Angelina, groping Britney and JLo, looking under Marilyn’s dress *snickers*, handing an apple to Isaac Newton (must encourage science development), using President Obama’s phone, etc.- putting down our backpacks at least couple of dozen times, and picking them up the same amount of times.

This done, we headed towards GMC – easily found. The business for the day finished, we switched back to tourist mode. The closest location was King’s Cross station (a must-see in my book, not because I love trains, but platform 9 3/4 is there). Of course I was like a kid in the candy store, took several goofy pictures then made a beeline across the street to a bookstore – after all it said “Bargain books” and for me books are like doughnuts for cops, or movies for Nana. Still we had time to kill until we met Vlad so we went to the British Museum – taking photos in the red phonebooth on the way. The museum was great, except all the exhibits we wanted to see were closed, but we were too tired to care. We met Vlad *joyful reunion* and after a much needed shower we went out for dinner – Vlad suggested a Thai restaurant. After a 15 minute queue, we were seated – the atmosphere is great, you get to sit with strangers at the table, eavesdrop on their conversation *evil grin* or just mind your own business. Suddenly, during dinner, all the tiredness crashed down on me and all I wanted to do is sleep – I was so tired I didn’t even want to talk (which is quite unusual for me).

This was our first day in London. Stay tuned for the next episode!

Germany

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:38:00 GMT

I will not talk about the desire of being 40, rather than the experience that enabled me to reach my 40th flight. This time the destination was Germany. My best friend moved out there a couple of years ago with his wife and beautiful baby girl and they’ve been nagging me about visiting them. So in the end I thought I’ll go through the “sacrifice”. I booked the plane ticket and 2 days before New Years I was on my way to Munich. At the airport I had to wait 4 hours until I was ready to board (thanks to dad’s idea of going “early” as the roads were not quite safe due to the snow – well, the roads were safe and there I was, getting bored out of my skull). After going through security, I was looking for a socket to plug my computer into – no such luck. And since I didn’t bring a book with me (fatal mistake, but I was listening to my mom – never again on this topic) the boredom was even more powerful. The flight was uneventful, the food delicious, the magazines entertaining (for about 30 minutes – that’s how long it took me to read both of them) and finally I reached the destination – Munich.

Chris and his little family were waiting for me – something I was really glad for. We were on our merry way towards their town in the mountains – Oberstaufen. It’s a quaint little town, more of a ski-resort type town, but nonetheless very charming. We got to lay down the plans on where I wanted to go. They live very close to Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland, so I opted for those destinations. The next day we visited the absolutely gorgeous castle of Neuschwanstein. It is like a fairy-tale castle and I’ve read it served as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disneyland. The castle is breathtaking and near it there is a bridge that is also breathtaking (not in a good way – boy did I have issues crossing that damn thing, me having a fear of heights and all). The really weird-as-in-lucky moment came when I bought some souvenirs. The amount of them was 20 euros and when I paid, I gave the guy a 20 euro bill. After they wrapped the gifts, the cashier hands me 30 euros back (he thought I gave him 50), so the souvenirs were for free and got some more money – talk about lucky *smug smile*. After the whole trip we were very tired so we went home. The next day was New Years Eve day, and Chris brought me to a waterpark. I loved every minute of it. As soon as we got in, the scent of chlorine hit me full force and my brain brought me back to the Bay of Dreams (indoor waterpark at Mount Olympus in Wisconsin). After 2 hours of frolicking around (went down tube slides, body slides, almost-free-fall-rides – Chris offered to pay me to go on one, which I did so he paid up) we left, picked up the girls and went shopping for the NY feast. The swimming took it out of us so I had to take a nap, which turned into a full-on 2 hour “nap”. We watched a cartoon (“The emperor’s new groove” – for role-playing of course as we know it by heart) then several minutes before midnight we left the house to go to the hospital (not as casualties but the hospital is located on the highest point of the city and the view of fireworks was the best from there). It was really great, I even made a wish (well, two wishes) on the full moon – they said that if you make a wish on a full moon at midnight between the years, the wish will come true *keeping fingers crossed*.

The fireworks were amazing, the champagne really good and around 3 a.m the Sandman claimed his prize and went to bed. The 1st of January was a day for relaxing (or so I thought). Chris insisted on dragging us on a rainy day to the town of Lindau. And I have to give him credit, it was really nice – narrow streets, cool little shops, lovely town square, colorful buildings. And what can make this day perfect? a meal at McDonalds *evil grin*.

On the 2nd of January we headed on the big trip. It was snowing like crazy, the roads looked dangerous, but we were all safe. Getting to Lichtenstein on a very windy weather, we wandered around, shopped for souvenirs, taking pictures – basically being tourists. From Vaduz we headed towards Switzerland.

Now, I know a lot of people think this country is all that, and I couldn’t agree more. The scenery was simply out of this world – small villages, large ski slopes, mountains covered with brilliant white snow and green trees – simply postcard material. We got to Rheinfal, a cool waterfall and done the touristy stuff again. This all ended around 7 p.m when we decided to call it a day and head home. On the road Chris and I did some soul-talking, the way we did when he was living here. Back home we watched a movie and then talked some more into the wee hours of the morning. My last morning in Germany found me at a waterpark again, this time a different one, smaller than the first with one slide, one swimming pool, lazy river and the main attraction – a round pool around 15 feet deep (4,5 m) and 2 diving boards 3 and 5 meters high. And being challenged, I jumped from the 3 m board – 3 times, and each time wondering what the Hell was I doing there. After the fun and games, we were on the road again, with a heavy heart(me). The security check went well, but again, no socket in the waiting lounge. The flight was normal, but my neighbor was not – she had her cell-phone turned on the whole time – seriously, was that really necessary? And that was officialy my 40th flight! A reason to celebrate.

The hard part of the trip was the road back home. It was snowing like nobody’s business and there was an extra stress factor – mom. Reasoning that she would have gone mad staying at home waiting for us, she came with my dad to pick me up. No matter how much I told them about my german adventures, I’m sure that more than half was not heard, due to stress and anxiety (may I suggest Paxel?). But at 2 a.m we got home, ate and went to bed.
All in all, my trip to the land of ski and bratwurst was amazing. I had a really great time, saw amazing places, lived great moments, I laughed a lot, so now I can sit back and enjoy my post-trip depression. Until the next trip that is!

Tunisia

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:37:00 GMT

As you have probably read, this year has been crazy for me – exam in February, Turkey & Israel in June, but the biggest hurdle was my surgery. Of course most people around me were more panicked than I was, but I was too preoccupied to get home as soon as possible. After the hospitalization, I lived with my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I love them to death, but being smothered is not my style. I know they meant well, but at some point I had to tell them – ok, I love you, but I need to go home. During my recuperation I attended Dina’s wedding, which was a blast. Around August, the parental unit brought up the idea of traveling again – one more reason I love them for. However the destination was Tunisia, a place they have visited the year before and they’ve been praising it back and forth. I was not thrilled at all to go, but they insisted – and i do mean insisted – it got to the point that they paid my vacation AND got me a separate room (dad is snoring like a machine and I refused another vacation in the same room with him). That being said, we were on our way.

The flight was from Cluj to Tunis (last year they landed smack near the resort, but this year it was not the case – from the airport a “mere” 4 hour trip by bus awaited. The flight was ok, but when they brought the food we thought it was a joke – one tiny sandwich with chicken and a glass of water. By the time we reached the hotel it was almost 2 a.m. The front desk clerk told us he only had rooms on the ground floor – I knew the instant we approached the front desk that it wouldn’t be easy, it never is. We spent one night in those rooms, famished, then went back to get other rooms that were promised. Needless to say we were told to return at 9 a.m and got the rooms a little after 12 p.m. By that time I was too tired to care, and after lunch I went straight to bed. Having our nerves stretched to the limit, of course we snapped. Dad was not happy with anything, Mom was disappointed in everything, saying that last year it was much better, and I pointed out, quite subtly that why did they insist on coming when we are treated like vermin (forgot to mention that we saw to guide the day we got there, and the day we left) – the time of departure was sent via text message (some service I have to say). But after some much deserved sleep all was good in the land of Tunis. We spent many lazy mornings and afternoons by the poolside and seaside, ate very good food, swam in the pools (cold water) and sea (warm-ish water) – my Dad even challenged me in swimming – silly, silly man. My favorite activity was walking on the beach at night before dinner, listening to music, and making up stories.

When we left, we were supposed to pick other passengers on the way. Of course there was a 40 minutes delay because some of them had no idea when they had to be ready. The airport affair was one marathon, but managed to stop to buy some souvenirs. The flight back was not spectacular, considering the sandwich being the same size and some students gathered and chatted it up. Lovely!

Returning to Cluj, I couldn’t wait to get in the car and drive home – another one hour and a half. By the time we reached the apartment, I promised I was done with traveling this year. Yeah, right! October found me in a new state of being – a student. That miracle lasted for one month, as I got fed up with them – I mean when you have the subject “English literature” you are not supposed to study grammar – there are other times for that. So the second university was a disappointment but I sucked it up.

November not rich in experiences, but December had a lot to promise – more traveling. At the beginning of the month just stepped over to Budapest for 2 days and right now I am writing from Germany where so far I have spent some amazing moments with some amazing people!

As I end this entry, I wish everyone a very Happy 2010, full of joy, laughter and good luck!

Turkey and Israel

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:36:00 GMT

This year started crazy – passing an exam to become an official teacher at the University, crazy schedule, working at the lab and university. So by the time summer came, I was burnt out. I needed a vacation, badly.
When the parental unit offered a trip to Turkey with them, I did not jump at the chance – some bad memories from the Egyptian trip. However, they managed to convince me, so the beginning of June found us in Turkey. Antalya to be more precise.

The hotel was a mere 15 minutes bus-ride from the airport, and it was amazing – just glass, wood and steel, smack right on the beach. The room was on the 8th floor and we had a beautiful view of..the hotel next to us. You can’t have it all, I guess. The food, well delicious doesn’t even cover it – salads, steak, soup – whatever you wanted, you had it. They won my affection by serving pancakes for breakfast, with chocolate cream.

The first day on the beach was a complete failure. The walk on the hot sand (and I do mean HOT) was anything but pleasurable – you could almost hear my feet sizzling in the cold water (sea water that is). SO, after this let’s call it high-temperature-experience, we redirected our attention to the swimming pools – the water was cold here as well, but plus side – no hot sand. And, we had music by the pool, and as neighbors – another pool with water-slides – tried them all…summer pavlovian reflex.

The tour guide offered some optional trips, and we chose the Pamukkale *short stop for tour-like information* – pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish and is a wonder of nature – the site has hot springs, rich in calcium and travertines – little terraces. The water flows really slow so the calcium has time to settle and everything becomes white. It’s truly a sight to behold. Next to the travertines are the ruins of ancient Hierapolis – the climb up there was MURDER.At the base of the hill is the legendary Pool of Cleopatra – it is said that if you bathe in it, you’ll feel and look younger – well I bathed but didn’t feel a darn thing – the old russian ladies fell for it though and you should have seen them shoving each other to get to the spring. What a performance!!! Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we got to the hotel – extreme cold and heat does that to people.

Another trip the tour lady presented was a one day journey to Jerusalem. Being the quintessential traveler, and some heavy persuasion from the parents, I signed up – another trip by myself. The tour-guide tells me there will be no Romanian or Hungarian guide (not unless I was willing to pay 200$ for the service – I wasn’t) but there will be an English one. I was supposed to leave on Thursday and on Wednesday afternoon I was still assured everything is fine. Yeah, right!

Thursday 4 a.m. The minibus came for me, almost packed with ONLY Russian tourists. To say I was the odd one there would be an understatement. At the next hotel we were supposed to pick 2 more tourists and waited 40 minutes for them – they overslept, bless their souls. We make it in good time to the airport, go through security, reach Tel Aviv and….showtime. There was no one waiting for us. I wandered around the airport like a stray cow caught in the hurricane and eventually found the bus with the agency’s logo. I get on the bus, and when I ask the guide “do you speak English?” she calmly replies “no’. Booooooooooooooy, you should have seen my face. I text the guide back in Turkey – dude, they screwed up, I’m in a bus full of Russian people and besides “Da” and “Nyet” I have no knowledge of the language. The tour-guide kept on rambling on and on about this and that, I’m sure it had something to do with the sites. I decide to suck it up and act touristy – that is open mouth, take as many pictures as possible and pray the day ends well.

We visited the Church of all Nations, the Garden of Ghetsemane, the Olive Mountain and then lunch. After lunch, the russian guide-lady tells me there is another group whose guide speaks English, and I can join them. Cool. I join the other team, another Russian one at that, and the guide spoke Russian too. No English. This got me wondering “what in the world is going on here? Am I some human ball between the two guides?” So I continued being touristy, wandering around, keeping a close eye on my new “family”.

Together we saw the Holy Tomb, the Hill of Golgotha – now don’t be fooled – everything is inside this huge church, the elements mentioned here are symbols. After this came the Wailing Wall (actually we went to it) and it is here that God showed me his mercy. While staying in the shade, I was eavesdropping on the team next to us. They were Americans. Hearing them speak English was an ointment for my soul. I almost wanted to tell them “please, take me with you” but I composed myself.

Leaving Jerusalem, we got to the Dead Sea. We were allowed to swim, but had to be careful – the water is REALLY salty, you can’t submerge even if you wanted to. Not that you want to, because ingesting that water or even get it in your eyes is a big no-no. So guess who got water in their eyes and walked out to the HOT beach to dry their stinging ocular aparatus? You would be right, me. So after such an eventful day, I felt I deserved a beer. Got to the bar, ordered a cold one and everything was alright in the world. Stopping for dinner and souvenir shopping, another group of Americans joined us, so I was happy again. This state of happiness continued throughout the evening, when I was able to walk inside the airport wearing flip-flops (it was summer, people so it seemed appropriate). While heading to the check-in, I find my original group and got in line. Here once again God smiled at me – the beautiful lady at the check-in desk spoke only English and Hebrew (I was avenged) so imagine the middle-aged ladies trying to understand a word (mu-ha-ha-ha). Naturally my seat was the one next to the emergency exit, so praying was an ever-present element throughout my journey. We made it to Turkey safe and sound and you can only imagine the looks on my parents’ faces when I told them about my Russian experience in the Holy Land. But I don’t regret it at all. I saw some amazing sites, felt amazing things, and got water from the Dead Sea in my eyes. Now tell me how many people can brag about that?
Next episode in the saga – my patience is pushed to its limits in Tunisia!

USA in the winter

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:35:00 GMT

Last year I wanted to go to the States, so I asked my boss if there was a chance I might get some sponsorship so I can attend a conference in Boston. Naturally the answer was NO (not a direct answer, rather a well-I-m-not-sure-it-is-possible kind of way), so I decided “if you want something to be done, you have to do it yourself”. I applied for the visa on my own and joy of joys, I was granted the tourist visa for 10 years *insert celebration dance*. So, after much debating, I decided to spend a month in the country of my heart, US of A, this time no work, just travel. So the middle of November found me in the Bucharest airport where the adventure started. I got my plane ticket online, and it seems the system (or the lady at the counter) would not find my ticket. My blood pressure was rising. Eventually, after waiting almost an hour, another fine dame appears and tells me everything is OK, and prints out a paper ticket, mentioning that if I lose it, I would have to pay for a new ticket. I wanted to hurt her. The flight to Bruxelles was enjoyable and no incidents. We land, and I check my cell-phone. No signal. Groovy. I run like a crazy person to find my gate, fill out the papers and get on-board in time.

After 9 hours, I reach good old O’Hare and the first order of business, after passing through security, is to check my cell-phone, to let the parents know I got there in one piece. And pray. And wonder of wonders, I got a signal *sigh of relief*. I reach my friends’ place where I got a good night’s sleep, as the next day I was heading to San Francisco. Early in the morning, with my trusted backpack on my back I was going to catch the bus, then train to the airport, but being the absolute tourist, I was heading in the opposite direction. I get on the bus and ask the driver if this is the way towards the airport – he says no, and that bus will come in about half an hour. Great. However, being the amazing person he was, and since there were no other passengers, he turned the bus around and took me to the train station. I thanked him profusely and was on my merry way. I had a muffin and Starbucks (what else) in the airport, then ZOOM – destination San Francisco. Getting there in the afternoon, I checked into my hotel then got to planning.

The first day was reserved for: Alcatraz island (I left my ID at the hotel and used my best puppy-eyed face to tell the lady at the ticket counter what happened, she let me pass)- the audiotour was amazing, Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Hill, Coit Tower, up and down those crazy hills – but it was all worth it, after all it’s San Francisco we’re talking about.

The next day a meeting with the beach was in plan. So, not suspecting anything, went on foot. Now, I’ve always wanted to see the fog in San Fran, and boy did I get my wish. Not 20 minutes have passed since I left the hotel that the fog came. Thick. Fast. Cold. I was searching for a store to buy a sweatshirt but all I came across was: laundry, restaurant, laundry, psychic(?!?!?!). In the end I manage to buy one, reach my destination, visit the Palace of Fine Arts, go to the beach, immerse my feet in the EXTREMLY cold water, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge (for the second time) and was ready to call it a day.

Third day was more of an in-town-sightseeing day: went with the cable car to the Financial
District, visited the Haas-Lilienthal house, then spent the day with a friend.
The journey however ended to soon, and I was really sad to leave the city, but I knew that more great stuff and friends were waiting for me so I cheered up. I reached Wisconsin, went to see the premiere of Twilight with my friends, attended a Thanksgiving dinner at Karen’s grandparents, shopped during Black Friday, stayed one week in Minnesotta (and walked in the snow around the university campus), shopped till I dropped, stayed a couple of days in a resort, with its own waterpark, visited the places I spent the summers – what can I say, a great experience.

But alas, I had to come home (always dreaded these moments). So there I am, with my extremly heavy suitcases in the airport, praying to the Lord they are not overweight – set them on the scale and each has 22,7 pounds (the limit is 23) – somebody up there loves me. Went through security, ate some lunch and patiently waited for my flight to be announced. When I got to my gate, it was empty. Weird. Then I hear that my flight left from a different gate. Finally on-board we get settled. At some point the captain lets us know there is some trouble with the air-conditioning system and the software needs to be updated. No problem. The update lasted about an hour, but it had to be done twice. When we are ready to leave the airport, apparently a plastic bag flew straight through the engine – seriously! So by the time we were ready to leave, we had a 3 hour delay (just the amount of time I was supposed to spend in London between flights). The flight was very pleasant, saw Mamma mia twice, and in the morning we got to London. I had to go through 2 security checks and was told that I was issued a new ticked, but it was not a direct flight to Bucharest, rather London-Munich-Bucharest. I was too tired at this point to care, I just wanted to go home.

Finally I reach Bucharest, without the luggages of course, but no wonder with all this airport hopping I was doing. When I saw mom waiting for my, all was good in the world. We got home, and just then started freaking out about the suitcases because all the presents were there and there were only a couple of days till Christmas. But all was well, the luggages arrived, and I was one happy camper!

Naturally I vowed I would return to the States (gotta use that visa) so the next trip there will be this summer – have to see Disneyland and many other places!
The next episode of my traveling saga – Turkey and my russian experience in the Holy Land!

The land of Pharaohs

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:33:00 GMT

2007 was my first year of official work – sure, I’ve worked in the summer as a lifeguard and front desk clerk in the States, but this was my first JOB – the one I studied for 6 years (and left me with almost an empty head) and the one where I can learn and use specific skills. To tell you I was excited would be a gross understatement – I LOVED every minute of work, truly enjoying being there, learning, working, and just getting to know the lab personnel. We were supposed to switch departments every month, but I spent 6 months in the biochemistry department (they told me I was trusted and reliable – now who can say no to that). Being an official worker, I was to tell them when I would take my vacation, so after debating with the parental unit, the month of September was declared the lucky winner. Destination – Egypt!

I can’t say it was my lifelong dream to see Egypt, but it was my mom’s so I said let’s go for it.

The road was a bit tricky – we drove to Budapest (a trip I was not very fond of, due to my dad’s “interesting” driving). I almost did that scene from the cartoons where the shipwrecked people reach an island, bend down and kiss it), and from Budapest we flew to Cairo. When we left Hungary it was raining and pretty gloomy, but reaching Cairo, the wet heat hit us in the face! It was a welcomed change. We were left at the hotel for a well deserved rest, and were told to prepare for the next-day trip. We spent 2 days in Cairo, during which time we saw: the pyramids (truly amazing, like you see them on TV, if not even greater), the Sphynx (who had a really bad nose-job), the Perfume museum, the papyrus museum (where you could buy personalized papyrus, which I did), the bazaar (which did not impress me that much, but it was cool), the Egyptian Museum (with its own wing for mummies – and maybe daddies too, I don’t know).

When we left for Aswan, we had to get up at 2.30 am (a crime I say, a CRIME), to catch the flight. Now, if it was even possible, it was hotter in Aswan than in Cairo, but we stood our ground. In Aswan we saw the dam, the Botanical Island and the Island of Elephants (though none of its previous inhabitants), Horus’ temple in Edfu and Sobek’s(the crocodile god) as well. From Aswan we took the boat (an amazing trip) up the Nile towards Luxor.

At some point one day, I got to see my favorite place in Egypt – Abu Simbel. It’s truly magnificent with the temples of Ramses and Nefertari (his favorite wife). The sitting statues are impressive, but what’s more impressive is the location. Initially it was where the lake is today, and back in the day they built is so that when the sun rises on February 20 and October 20, its rays would shine on the sculptures located in the depth of the temple. However, when the dam was built, the temples had to be moved, and in the 60s they were. Truly a marvel of technology. One evening I managed to photograph the sunset on the Nile – beautiful.

Upon reaching Luxor, we visited the temples of Karnak and Luxor (positioned as to represent the journey of Ra), the Valley of the Kings (where I experienced the hottest weather ever), the temple of Hatshepshut (apparently the first female pharaoh, and it’s said she was kind of bitchy but I guess she had to).

Leaving Luxor behind, we set for Hurghada, a resort by the Red Sea, where we were to relax for 6 more days. And relax we did: swimming, eating great food, enjoying some great massages, going on a trip in the desert, snorkling, collecting shells from the bottom of the sea, watching dolphins swim by. It was great. However, all this constant sunshine and non-activity was getting to me, I yearned for rain, big cities and all that comes with it. When we got to the airport in Cairo I spotted it, Starbucks coffee shop *insert angelic choir*. I drank a caramel latte while my parents watched me acting like I was out of my mind (they can’t understand my addiction to Starbucks coffee).

Eventually we reached Budapest where we spent 2 more days, and then I was steeling myself for another 10 hours on the road, with dad behind the wheel. Luckily we made it in one piece, tanned, with a lot of pictures and memories, not to mention a strong desire of not going back to work, which was not an option. Still, the winter holidays were just a mere 2 months away. And, in October of that same year I started teaching. Cool, no?
Next destination – US of A (for the 4th time) – this time no work and all play

European experience

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:31:00 GMT

2006 was the “Hell-year” of my life. So many things happened that I don’t even want to talk about them – those who know me well, know what I’ve gone through. But anyway, in spring I found out that, curtesy to AEGEE (a European student association) I would be visiting Italy. Finally, something to look forward to. So the summer came, with all its exams, the final paper (done in 3 weeks while others struggled with it for months) – which was finished on a Friday, 5 minutes before midnight (thus avoiding the turning-into-pumpkin stipulation of the contract) and after 4 hours of sleep, I was on my merry way, with my good friend Chris towards Budapest. We were supposed to stay for a couple of days there, and I was to fly to Rome after said time frame.

We went by train, and after a grueling (for me)/delightful (for Chris) 11 hour trip, we got off at the Eastern Station in Budapest. For a couple of days I showed Chris the sights, he brushed up on his Hungarian (which was rusty to say the least) and finally, there I was, at the airport, eagerly waiting my journey to Icecream-land.

The trip included: flight (Budapest – Rome), bus (airport – Termini railway station), train (Rome – Termoli).

I got to my destination (the lovely city of Termoli) dead tired, in dire need of a shower and some food. This whole italian experience was a summer university, gathering people from all over Europe: Hungary, Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria. That first night I thought I would get a good night sleep. Yeah, right. Around 2 a.m I feel my bed being moved (with me in it). Turns out, they (the organizers) thought it was funny to deposit me in the hallway (we had lodging in a school) – I should have freaked them out, but instead voted for slow and painful revenge (mu-ha-ha). Which never came, since they turned out to be a pretty cool gang. All of them. So we bonded over field-trips, wine-tasting (which was done A LOT). There was a party every night, but my personal favorite was, when it was held on the beach, and I was dancing, only in my pants (sans shirt or shoes) on a bench. At some point I stopped, and a guy turns to me and says “why did you stop? you are great!”…so, thanks to the ego-boost, I kept on dancing.

The organizers took us on a 2 day trip in the mountains, where it was EXTREMLY windy, but I loved it (went horse-back riding and with the ATV cars) – you should have seen the other participants freezing and me only in a t-shirt and sweatpants – lovely.
By far my favorite moment of this whole summer university was the trip to Tremiti islands. Imagine a tropical island with beautiful blue waters, sandy beaches, gorgeous flowers and you get the picture of these islands. They had to take us by boat (a 1 hour trip) then we went exploring, swimming, snorkling, taking in the sun, basically having a great time.

The last night of the summer university was European night – it’s basically one huge party, where all the people bring their national food and drink – needless to say, from all the tasting we got totally wasted.

My summer university experience taught me several things: I need to be open to new experiences, being yourself is the greatest gift, people want to know you if you let them, alcohol crosses language barriers and fun is at every corner!

So after 2 glorious weeks of partying, wine drinking, field-trips, the heaviest rains in the past 10 years (seems my revenge caught up with them after all – feel my wrath muhaha) and even winning an award for “Summer’s best poet” I went to visit some relatives who live about 1 hour from Rome. After the heavy experiences, some relaxation was in order. I got to see, in the little town of Terni, how the rich people live, even met some of them, I got to walk on cobble-stone streets, found clothes at bargain prices AND even got to see Rome – what was the point of going to Italy if not to see Rome as well.

In 8 hours we covered the basics – the Vatican (suddenly feeling the desire to re-read Angels and Demons), the Trevi fountain (simply breathtaking and crawling with Japanese tourists), the Pyramid, the Colosseum (in which I was slightly disappointed – not in the building itself, but in its location – you exit the subway and you’re smack into the Colosseum). But all in all, it was a great experience. Being in the pizza-home, I ate some – had the best and worst pizza of my life there (of course not in the same place, but in the same city).

Though I liked Italy, I said it might not be likely to return, unless it’s for a very good reason! I would rather visit other places on this lovely planet if the chance presents itself.

I returned to Budapest, just in time for the National Day. So around 9 pm my cousin and I head for the major attraction – the fireworks. While on our way, I tell him there’s a storm approaching – you could hear the distant thunders. Well, I was right – go figure. The storm lasted for about half an hour, but the damages were huge – 6 people killed, several hundreds injured and the city looked like a hurricane went through it…and I need to point out, the winds were so strong, the rain was “falling” horizontally (something I’ve never seen before and not really looking forward to it). The remaining days of my vacation in Budapest were spent walking, riding the subways, shopping during the day and partying at a local trance club almost every night – even attending a trance parade – very cool.

The trip home was a blur – I came by bus, but slept through the whole trip. At home I had to study for the license exam, and after that for the residency exam, but due to some emotional issues, I squeezed 3 weeks (once again, the magic time frame) of reading and even managed to get a decent score, thus securing a place for my desired specialization and city.

This is how the year 2006 went for me (part of it)….next episode – guess who gets to see the pyramids?

USA 2004 - the summer that never was

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:29:00 GMT

I continue my journey down memory lane, with one of the best summers of my life. 2004 that is.
Around spring I was already excited of getting back to Wisconsin as a lifeguard, and couldn’t wait to finish with my exams. I passed most of them and at the beginning of July I was on my way to good old US of A.

The flight was uneventful and in Chicago I waited for Nana (she was coming on a different flight) to head together to Madison by bus. When we get there, it was 9 pm and it was FREEZING. In July. Seriously? So Karen, the dear soul came to pick us up from the bus station, told us the summer was crazy, they hardly saw any sun, but this didn’t stop the customers. No sooner we arrive, we start work – it seems there was a BIG shortage of lifeguards, so we had to work a lot of hours, which was more than fine with us – the craziest day was Saturday, when we worked open – close (8.30 to 22.00).

The VERY bright side was that we had a car, and on our day off, which we named Golden Friday, took the Caddy and hit the roads – Chicago, Milwaukee, Lake Geneva and many more. Truly an amazing summer.

The weather was really crazy – we had temperatures ranging from 60 F(roughly 15 C) to 100 F(around 40 C) – I did manage to get a tan so I was happy. The days when the sun was out were truly crazy. Us lifeguards had to jump into the water several times because of the heat (one of the girls passed out from heat stroke).Naturally things have not changed: “Staying in or getting out?Yes…yes what?”"turn around and sit – guest puts in foot first”, and the list could go on, and on, and on.

One memory that clearly comes to mind is my audit. Each summer, a lady from the Red Cross came to the park and posed as a victim in order to assess the lifeguard activity. The day she was at the park I was a nervous wreck. Back then I knew I couldn’t work under stress. So, being a breaker (a person who gives other people breaks and takes their place for that time) I asked for my half (half an hour that is for my lunch) and then to be put in rotation (the chances of being audited being that much slimmer). But the dear supervisors told me, and I quote “Sorry, there isn’t anyone capable we can pull out of rotation, so you get to stay a breaker…go give whats-his-name a 10 minute break”. Fuming I headed towards the dreaded spot, to relieve the lifeguard. No sooner that I sit down, I see a lady coming down the slide and my instinct screams “it’s her”. Of course when she get to the bottom she doesn’t move, I stop the water flow, blow my whistle really loud and run towards the slide to immobilize the victim. It all goes well, and I am congratulated for a job well done. I was officially the first lifeguard to be audited on “Ketchup&Mustard” – that’s not the name – it’s “Thunder and Lightning” but if you see the picture you know why we chose the culinary name.

It was this fateful year of 2004 when I discovered the marvelous world of Harry Potter. On a whim I bought the first book in WalMart and was hooked ever since. Since Karen is also a fan, we had even more things to talk about. But reading wasn’t my only entertainment – we went out for karaoke, went to the movies, Wizard Quest in downtown Dells, the Golden Friday trips – life was truly good.

The summer came to an end, but I was looking forward to it. Mind you not because I had to leave, but because we had a road trip planned – heading west from Chicago to see: The Rocky Mountains, The Grand Canyon, and last but not least Las Vegas. I had an alternate final destination – San Francisco (being an avid Charmed fan I just HAD to see the city).

So, October 1st found us on the road, but just like any roadtrip ours wasn’t without adventures.
It went something like this Chicago – Lincoln, NE – Frisco, CO (we saw the Rocky Mountains National Park) – Moab, UT (White Forest National Park). And this is where it starts to get interesting. We didn’t know that our car had so many parts and engines and such, so one of those thingies broke down in Utah. We had to stay an extra day in Moab, but on the bright side, we stayed in John Wayne’s room and saw the amazing Arches National Park. By this time my nature-limit was rapidly approaching its upper limit, I needed to see cities, people and cars.

After Moab we headed further down west and came to the Grand Canyon. I must admit, I didn’t understand the big fascination with the Canyon, but when I stood on the edge I totally got it. It’s breathtaking. I managed to take a really cool picture, considering it one of my best.

The final night found us in Las Vegas, after seeing the Hoover Dam. Las Vegas is FABULOUS…by night. The casinos are great, the little cities – New York, Paris, Venice are really really cool, the pirate show at Treasure Island was very creative. Naturally being in Las Vegas you must enter a casino, which we did, play the slot machines, which we did, and not necessarily win, which I did.

My final destination was good old San Francisco – didn’t get a chance to see much due to my HEAVY backpack, but still, being the stubborn dude I faced the challenges. Walked across the bridge, saw the Lafayette Park, The Palace of Fine arts and the Marina Beach. I vowed that I will return some day, to see the great things this city has to offer, which I did, 4 years later (but that’s another story).

With a heavy heart I left the west coast, stayed 2 more days in Chicago and then was on my merry way home. As usual, I was sad to return and this time I was sure I would return the next year – however 2005 held few surprises for me and left me a bit bitter, but not bitter enough to ever forget that country or the amazing people I met there.

Vienna

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:28:00 GMT

This traveling experience began with spending New Year’s at my friends’ place in Hungary, as well as being reunited with some great friends from the US : Karen and Joelle. That NY was a memorable one, especially when we went to the hot baths at night with our friends and their friends, entered the steaming water while our towels were freezing – literally.

Then came another adventure : me and the girls (Karen, Joelle and Viki) went to see the old town and the river (Tisza that is). The bank of the river was frozen, so after gliding a couple of times on the ice, Joelle comes up with the bright idea “if you guys give me 10$ i’ll run into the water”. Of course, not being one to pass an opportunity to be a retard, I say “me too”… in the end, all of us got into the FREEZING COLD river, dressed only in our underwear – i was the only one to go neck deep. Getting back to the house was an experience to say the least, and after washing our feet (the climb up to the car had to be done on the muddy bank side) and taking a well deserved HOT shower, took a nap – we were entitled, wouldn’t you say?

After the NY party, our friends’ parents came home and brought the amazing idea of seeing Vienna. So far, my european experience consisted of seeing Budapest. Thus, the next day we hopped on the highway and off we were to see the home of the wiener schnitzel and Mozart chocolate. Finding a parking spot is harder than spotting a star on the sky in broad daylight, but the task was managed.
I found out that our visit had a purpose – we were going to a museum *happy dance*. At said museum (don’t remember the name) we say the exposition of Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, a well known french painter who depicted “la vie boheme” of Paris at the end of the 19th century. His work is mostly made up of drawings (at least that is what we saw) and though it doesn’t compare to the classics, it definitely holds its own charm. I later came to find him as a character in the movie Moulin Rouge!, alongside Satine (Nicole Kidman), Christian (Ewan McGreggor) and Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent). After the museum visit the time came for some sightseeing – during our walk Viki tried to teach Joelle how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are called in Hungarian.

We got to St.Stephen’s Cathedral, located in Stephansplatz (Stephen’s square – original, no?). We got inside, marveled at the imposing structure, climbed all the way to the top, bought some souvenirs – a beautiful snow globe that met its tragic end by the hands of my little cousin. After this, we wandered around the square, and i got in contact with a window. How you ask? Simple. I was checking out a crystal collection displayed in one of the windows and I got closer..and closer…and closer…BOING – the sound of my forehead against the glass. Genius, no? In my defence, I would have to say the window was so damn clean you couldn’t even see it.

In the afternoon we said our goodbyes to the parents and done some bar-hopping (or rather pub hopping), tasting different (delicious) wines, listening to music, writing funny messages on coasters, so basically enjoying ourselves. Our last stop was at McDonalds, where i got a battery running deer named, you guessed it, Rudolph. He is really cute and he sings- the kid in me was happy.During this little trip I became acquainted with Dan Brown (not personally of course). Karen, being the avid reader she is, told me about this fascinating book called The DaVinci code. By coincidence, she had the book with her, and after telling me the general aspects of the book, I bought it from her. Since then, I’ve been hooked on Dan Brown’s books, although I have to admit I liked Angels and demons better.

On our way back, we sang and danced (believe me – although Karen’s knees will never be the same after this trip) in the car and recounted different events of the summer (2003 – waterpark life). The night was spent in Budapest and the next day I got on the bus, waving my friends goodbye with a heavy heart, promising to see each other soon. It turned out to be sooner, as my papers were being processed to be part of the lifeguarding team once again in 2004.
So, in the next episode….summer (that never was) of 2004!

USA 2003...and travel

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:25:00 GMT

Dearest Karen attended college in Chicago (good old Trinity) and Joelle in Mississippi. So a bunch of guys decided they want to go down to Mississippi and see Joelle. Seeing an opportunity, I asked them if I can join, they agreeing – the more, the merrier. The plan was to go to Chicago, pick up Karen, then drive down 13 hours to good ol’ Mizzippi. Everything went according to plan, and there we were, enjoying the warmth of the South and not understanding a word those fine people were saying. We saw the campus (and I mean a real campus), the cotton fields (I even picked a “flower”), ate the spiciest food in my entire life (my lips and tongue were numb and this after a couple of bites). I was kind of freaking out when the guys decided to stay for one more day (I had to go back to work), but then they had me – the destination was New Orleans.

Being an avid Anne Rice fan (see Vampire Chronicles) and caving to Joelle’s persuasion, we arrived in Jazzland. It was another great adventure – we walked on Bourboun Street, drank cocktails, listened to Jazz, ate at a gay restaurant (the waiter would not give Karen a knife, but I’m sure he would have cut one of the guy’s hamburger in a heart beat), we fooled around in the shops (tried on different wigs, hats, sunglasses), generally having a great time.

Sadly though, this adventure ended, and the next day found us in Wisconsin again. I was sad to leave,but on the other hand I was glad I was coming home.
Take one flight Chicago – Amsterdam, Amsterdam – Bucharest and I was safe in my parents’ arms. Of course I brought presents and experiences back with me (not to mention some body modification ) and for the first two weeks I was strongly against the americans (they are ignorant, stupid and whatever came to mind).

Mom however, being the wise woman, left me to my business for about a month (two weeks if you count the not-talking-to-me-because-of-the-tattoo), then asked me to tell her about the summer. Needless to say, as I started talking, I missed my friends, remembered all the good times we had, forgetting the bad experiences (especially the harassment of one of my colleagues at the hotel, who was also from Romania, gay to boot and kept touching me and making propositions, even when I told him I was not interested)

And after all these stories, the following week I started the papers for another summer in the US, at Family Land.

Getting home was the real culture shock. I realized how much we are missing, both material and people wise. In the States people are not rude, they help you if they can, you just have to be a little open towards them. I don’t think they’re ignorant (not anymore at least) – they simply focus on a thing at a time (not like us, running around, multitasking and then getting exhausted). They are calmer, more organized and simplify things – that’s what I love about them. It took me about 3 weeks to get over the jet-lag and more to overcome my depression of getting home and seeing how things work around here.

USA 2003...work...

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:21:00 GMT

In the Dells!!!

After 5 grueling hours of riding a bus, I am deposited in Wisconsin Dells. At the station, a lovely lady asks me and the other 2 guys who get off the bus if we came for Family Land. It seems I am the only person, so after collecting my luggage, Karen (the lovely lady who soon turned out to be one of my bestest friends) drives me to my accomodation. While she is driving, I tell her all about my little adventure. When she manages to squeeze a word in (I talk, A LOT, some friends and even Mom told me I talk a lot), she asks whether I have ever been in an english speaking country. Saying I haven’t, she praises my Englsih skills (on the inside I was doing a happy dance, but being the modest person that I am, I just blushed and thanked her). Later I would find out, she was surprised an international (non-american folks) was such a chatter-box, when normally they would manage one-word answer to questions “are you tired?”, “how was your flight?”…Well, she was in for a surprise with me…the conversation went something like this “so how was your experience so far?….Well, let me tell you…” and I went on and on, and on….

We got to JetStar – our housing and finally relaxed. I was supposed to report to work the next day, get my gear, orientation and such. I was living in a room with a guy, Radek, from Czech Republic, who was quite nice and that night I met some other people : Joelle (who turned out to be another great friend during that summer), the Hungarians (a compact group, constantly having fun – great people) and other more. The next day, after orientation and getting my gear I was prepared to embrace the job….being a lifeguard – it even sounded important. We knew we had to be certified, but being in the medical business, it was no biggy for me. At orientation I met another guy from Romania, so we decided to room together (birds of a feather..you know). One night, before the certification exam, we decided (my roomie and me that is) to go to WalMart to buy bikes (it was a cool 45 minutes walk from the housing to the park). We buy the bikes and some other items, and get on our merry way. Of course, the tourist sense kicks in, and we get lost (retarded, I know), and to make matters more interesting, my roomies bike breaks. Not even 1 hour after purchase. So there we were, on a dark country road, one broken bike and thoughts of horror movies floating in our heads. Luckily a car stops and the guy takes us back to WalMart. We have to walk back to our housing (a 2 hour walk, no problem) and crash for the night, the adventure being too much for us.

Several days later, being a lifeguard already and learning the hard way what it means to work in the “people bizz” (surveying them, giving first aid if needed, helping them on slides), Ovi and me decide it’s time to take another job, to earn some more money. We land jobs in the housekeeping section of the park (basically it’s a resort – one HUGE hotel, with a water park attached to it), but I quit after 3 days due to health issues (I am allergic to the chlorine in the cleaners). However, luck seems to be on my side again, as I get a job at the reservations department of said hotel (taking reservations of hotel rooms on the phone), then working at the front desk. It was a great job, it paid well but at some point I was feeling dead tired.

Now, a lot of good things happened to me during that summer – had my first crush (which kind of hit me off field since I haven’t been with anyone till then), met some truly amazing people I can have the pleasure of naming friends (Dawn, Vlad, Karen, Joelle), attended cool activities (Family Land Olympics, the boat trip) and I think the most important thing – I got a tattoo (now, Mom would totally disagree with me that it’s a cool thing, especially after not talking to me for 2 weeks when I showed it to her) and a really cool one at that (yes I know it’s permanent, and no, I don’t get tired of it, in fact, next summer I’m getting another one – there), going on movie marathons with Nana, another great friend (actually it was more like pay 1 movie and sneak into 2 others).

USA 2003...Chicago adventure

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:19:00 GMT

In the last episode, our hero (me that is) has landed in Chicago, USA. Of course not knowing what the procedures were, I just followed the crowd to customs. Naturally before departing I checked buses and trains for Wisconsin Dells (my home for 3 months). Last bus was heading out at 3.15 pm. So there I was, in customs at 1 pm and the line was moving SNAIL SLOW. By the time I had clearance, it was 2.30. I drew a short breath, said a little prayer and trusted the Lord Almighty to help me out.

As I exited international terminal 5, I spot a mini-van that is gathering passengers for downtown Chicago. I take this as a sign, get in, buckle up and happily stare out the window (at the same time being amazed by the sky-scrapers seen only on TV up until that point). Now, the other passengers were people living in hotels in Chicago, so the minivan’s route was in downtown to take them to their place of residence. There were REALLY too many hotels for my taste. By the time I got out of the van, and reached the Greyhound bus station it was 3.30 pm (missed the bus by 15 minutes). Being the happy camper that I am, I placed a few carefully chosen words in the astral plane, rethought my position, grabbed the backpack and headed towards a general destination. After calling my employer to tell her of my situation (and being told to spend a night in Chicago as if it was something I did on a daily basis), I started looking for a place to sleep (the train station was out of the question for me). Then I remembered that I had an international student card that came with a booklet, helping out the needy (I was truly one of them at this point) to find suitable hostels.

In the process I saw a couple of sights in the Windy City – Buckingham fountain for instance, happily recognized due to me watching Married with children back home. Of course being a true tourist, I got lost – not seeing anyone on the streets (this was a Sunday afternoon after all) I lacked the source of information. Luck though seemed to be on my side and a kind lady crossed my path (well actually I crossed hers but let’s not get technical). I asked for directions, but in a city as big as Chicago, to know all the streets you’d have to be….a cab driver for instance, and she did not fit the profile. She was kind enough to escort me to the Hilton hotel (classy, no? ) where the kind gentleman dirrected me to a youth hostel just across the street. I payed 37$ for a night (a high amount if you ask me), got a shower and was off to dreamland before you could say “Welcome to the US” (after all, walking aimlessly on the streets of a HUGE city for 4 hours would tire out anyone). Slept for 12 hours straight, then with my trusted backpack on its designated place, took the direction of Greyhound (of course, once again being the perfect tourist I was heading in the opposite direction, WITH a map in my hand).

Getting there, I purchased my ticket and got in line to get on the bus. Of course, things can’t run smoothly, suddenly a man starts screaming for help and before I realize what’s happening he collapses on the floor in a fit. The highly efficient paramedics materialize out of thin air under 1 minute and help the poor fellow. I was glad to see that health services were better there than back home. I deposit my bag in the luggage compartment, get a seat and look around. Swear to God the bus was filled with african-americans. I have never seen one up close and to me they looked massive and bearer of a certain threat (thank you action movies – please note the sarcasm). Had I seen Shrek before, I would have sung “on the road again” but that not being the case I settled in with a book, taking naps between the lines. The whole trip lasted 5 freaking hours (I am not a happy traveler, especially on buses), but alas, the bus arrives to the Promised Land aka Wisconsin Dells.

USA 2003...the beginning

fiy3ro — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:01:00 GMT

It all started in 2003, when I was young and mostly free. Being in my 3rd year of university I thought the world was mine, and I was right. I came upon an ad, where they needed camp counselors in the US. After much debate with the parental unit, I thought why not go for it. February rolled by and I was on my way to a bigger city where the job interviews were being held, with american employers. I went with a friend of mine, and after listening to what those fine men and women presented us (job offers that is), we decided to give it a shot – namely, to become lifeguards in a waterpark.

I have to admit, at first I wanted to sell icecream, mostly because of financial reasons but am I ever glad i didn’t go with that. So, after a brief interview with our soon-to-be employer, we were accepted. The company in charge of such Work&Travel business took care of the visa and I was anxious to be on my merry way towards the Promised Land.

After all those grueling exams (medical school is nothing to mess around with, trust me), my dear parents drove me to the airport (some 220 miles). It was the fine morning of June 15th when I found myself in an airport for the first time. Saying good-bye was done in a flash (a bit of a shocker for me) because the lady guard told me passengers are ready to board my flight (heading to Amsterdam). So I hugged and kissed Mom and Dad and off I went. Reaching Amsterdam I was awed at how amazing and cool an airport can be, but then an alarm sounds in my brain “where is my luggage?”…so I go over to a nice lady at a desk and ask politely where I can find my luggage. She looks at my ticket and with a great smile she tells me that I will pick up the luggage in Chicago (my final destination – a movie which by the way I saw one month before flying – eeeek). So, having one less thing to worry about, I wandered on the “streets” of the airport, heading confidently to the terminal

At the designated time, the plane took off and I was getting closer to good old US of A by the minute. The food was…interesting, to say the least and the on-flight movies were ok too (Maid in Manhattan and some Colin Farrell movie). And after 9 hours of flight, we land in Chicago O’Hare International Airport…suddenly the phrase “the eagle has landed” came to mind.

More to come – the first american adventure…getting lost in Chicago, then heading towards Dairyland!

My Travel Writing Scholarship 2011 entry

fiy3ro — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:33:00 GMT

From Antalya (Turkey) I flew to Jerusalem for a one day trip. Reaching Tel Aviv it was adventure time. After getting the entry visa and a bit of wandering around, I found the tour bus.Getting on, I ask the guide if she speaks English, and she calmly replies “No” (even though I was promised an English guide back in Turkey). I stared blankly at her, trying to get over the shock of the news. After it wore off, and considering my options, I decide to suck it up and make the most of my day, while taking a lot of pictures, doing the research on places, at home.

Saw the Church of all Nations, which is my “number 1 location to see in Jerusalem”; the Garden of Ghetsemane, with its beautiful olive trees – you can see the rock where Jesus supposedly prayed before being taken away by the soldiers, with an ingraving to prove it, and the Olive Mountain. After lunch, the guide tells me there is another group whose guide speaks English, and I can join them. Turns out the other group was Russian as well, and no English word was spoken.“What in the world is going on here?”

We visited the Church of Holy Sepulchre (the Tomb of Christ), the currently claimed place of Golgotha, packed with pilgrims from all around the world – the sunlight streaming from the ceiling is spectacular; the Wailing Wall or Kotel, whose entrance is heavily guarded and you need to pass a security gate like the ones in the airports, then get to see the millions of prayer paper pieces squeezed in the crevices.

Leaving Jerusalem, we arrived at the Dead Sea. You have to be careful – the water is extremely salty, so you are advised by a panel at the entrance to avoid ingesting it or getting it into your eyes. I covered myself in mud (apparently healing), then went swimming. Well guess who got water in their eyes? After a near-blind walk back to the beach and a healing shower, I felt I deserved a beer, so after having one everything was alright in the world. The day coming to an end, we stopped for dinner and souvenir shopping at the gift shop where you can find anything from trinkets to Dead Sea weed based cosmetic products.

A great joy of mine at the airport was the ability to walk around in flip-flops (it was summer, so it seemed appropriate). While heading to the check-in, I find my original group and got in line, secretly enjoying the inability of the Russian ladies to understand English (I was avenged). Naturally the adventure would not have been complete had I not received the seat next to the emergency exit, so praying was an ever-present element throughout my journey. Getting back to Turkey I let the adventure sink in. I saw amazing places, felt amazing things, and got Dead Sea water in my eyes. How many people can brag about that?

Budapest

fiy3ro — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 23:41:00 GMT

So far it’s my favorite city in Europe (and since I haven’t seen that much of Europe, there isn’t a really broad field for comparison). When I was there for the first time I was 13. Being my first trip abroad I was paying attention to everything around me, like I was paid to do that. My trusted traveling companion was my mom. It was July, it was hot, there was only cold water at my cousins’ place, we walked EVERYWHERE, but I didn’t give a damn…I was FASCINATED with the city, its architecture, its people, its everything. And what I liked most about it, we didn’t have every single minute planned. We had breakfast on the Danube’s bank, I spilled mineral water on my clothes while climbing some stairs leading to St.Matthew’s Cathedral, gave mom the creeps going all the way to the top of St.Stephens’ Cathedral (she is afraid of heights), walked the Chain Bridge, visited the Zoo and the Amusement Park (my first encounter with such an entertaining unit – and my first scare with the hand drying thingy…i thought i broke it since it didn’t stop when i removed my hands from under it – silly child).
Then, as I grew older, I learned to see the city through different eyes (and glasses). I truly love the subways (not the sandwiches, which are also a great weakness of mine, but the means of transportation). There are 3 (soon, although I don’t know how soon – 4) subway lines (one going under the Danube) and I’ve ridden them all, more than enough times.

If you were to go to Budapest and looking for me, here are the places you are most likely to find me :
- subway
- bookstore
- WestEnd shopping mall

Now, even though I’m a guy, and by definition I loathe shopping, there’s something about that shopping mall that gets to me. Not to mention that it might be the only place where I can find clothes that fit me (especially jeans) at a reasonable price. So you might find me wandering the streets of said mall.
I also enjoy going to museums – the last time I went there to see an exposition on mythology, the lady at the counter wanted to give a discounted ticket, believing I was under 26. I thanked her dearly and said that wasn’t the case – I am being honest, and didn’t want to cheat the establishment.

Bookstores are like a big metal plate and me being the magnet. Being a book-freak I must get my fix by stepping inside one of the many bookstores this fine city has to offer. Of course I make a beeline to the English section, where I can find really good books for bargain prices. The last book I bought was “The pianist”. Not seeing the movie, I vaguely had an idea what it was about. Reading it I got a
full image of Poland during WWII.

I have some friends there, and it is always good to see them, hang out and have a couple of cold beers (during the summer of course). If you go in the winter make sure you have warm clothes, otherwise get ready to have your buns frozen off. Been there, done that (still I entered the river Tisza on New Year’s Eve but that’s a different story).

And if you are an avid tourist here are some of the places recommended to visit : St.Matthew’s Cathedral and the Fishermen’s Bastion; St.Stephen’s Cathedral, The Budai Castle with its National Gallery, The Art Museum located in Heroes Square, the Zoo, the baths (Budapest is notorious for its baths) and the Amuzement Park.

Oh, and don’t believe that story where they say the Danube is blue (a well-known waltz by Johan Strauss) – in fact it changes colours – sometimes it’s green, sometimes brown, sometimes black. But that doesn’t change the fact that over it run 7 amazing bridges (my favorite is the Elizabeth Bridge)! And one little curiosity – if you go to the Chain Bridge notice the lions – they’re missing their tongues ;)

So, get your gear and head out. Budapest has many things to offer and you need to feast on everything! Enjoy!